160 degree Wahler thermostat temperature test

[BufordTJustice]

Purchased a Wahler 160 degree thermostat, housing, and gasket from pelican parts. Placed in a pot of distilled water and tested.

 

Plenty of pics with my infrared thermometer.

 

This will be getting installed in my 99 3.4 996 this coming Friday. Should be a huge benefit for the Florida summer. The pictures speak for themselves; I started with the thermostat heated up and ended with cool down; so they are in DECREASING order. Opening temp is accurate, no opening action is observed until ~156 degrees F. Stays partially open down to 148 F after it's been heated (flange is barely cracked open). I'm very pleased.

 

Being on the inlet for cooled coolant coming from the cold return side of the radiators, this will safely drop running temps.

 

I'll test the OEM t-stat after it's removed and report back. Car runs from 102-109 C when in traffic and creeping along.

 

 

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Edited May 24, 2017 by BufordTJustice
Correct spelling in title

[BufordTJustice]

Can one of the mods edit the title so that "tedt" is test, please? My phone autoincorrected it to a word i never used.

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[JFP in PA]

Just remember that the thermostat sets the minimum temperature the car will see in a steady state (read moving at reasonable speeds on the open road).  Stuck in traffic, the car will slowly heat up from the steady state temps (usually around the low 170's F) to the temps where the fan kicks in, but will also cool back down to the steady state temps when the car gets moving again.

[BufordTJustice]

Just remember that the thermostat sets the minimum temperature the car will see in a steady state (read moving at reasonable speeds on the open road).  Stuck in traffic, the car will slowly heat up from the steady state temps (usually around the low 170's F) to the temps where the fan kicks in, but will also cool back down to the steady state temps when the car gets moving again.

Yessir, that's how I understand it.

I'm fine with the 210-225 temps as short duration peaks, but I did not like them as steady state running averages (even when moving). I appreciate that this will reduce temps more effectively once the car is moving or once the rad fans turn on.

I am also hoping for a slower heat up when coming to a standstill in traffic. I'm confident this will help with that.

I may do a third rad kit in the future, but this seems like a cost effective stop gap measure for a car that will almost never be tracked, but that will see stop and go traffic.

I'm also interested to see the effect on running oil temperatures.

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[JFP in PA]

2 hours ago, BufordTJustice said:

 

Yessir, that's how I understand it.

I'm fine with the 210-225 temps as short duration peaks, but I did not like them as steady state running averages (even when moving). I appreciate that this will reduce temps more effectively once the car is moving or once the rad fans turn on.

I am also hoping for a slower heat up when coming to a standstill in traffic. I'm confident this will help with that.

I may do a third rad kit in the future, but this seems like a cost effective stop gap measure for a car that will almost never be tracked, but that will see stop and go traffic.

I'm also interested to see the effect on running oil temperatures.

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Typically, we see 25-30F drop in oil temps with the low temp stats

[BufordTJustice]

 
Typically, we see 25-30F drop in oil temps with the low temp stats

I might be more excited about that than coolant temp reduction! That's great news!

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[JFP in PA]

We have actually seen repeatable improvement in UOA's on cars going to the 160 stat along with the lower oil temps, demonstrating that the oil is happier running cooler.  On base Boxsters, the combination of the 160 stat and larger "S" oil cooler showed significant improvements in oil life.

[BufordTJustice]

We have actually seen repeatable improvement in UOA's on cars going to the 160 stat along with the lower oil temps, demonstrating that the oil is happier running cooler.  On base Boxsters, the combination of the 160 stat and larger "S" oil cooler showed significant improvements in oil life.

I cannot emphasize how happy that makes me. My last UOA for a roughly 6k run on Mobil 1 0w-40 (OCI started under previous owner) wasn't great. Oil was quite dark and thin. Wear metals were okay, but TBN was not where it should have been. Lots of shearing going on. Kv100 was not in the 40 weight range any more.

I am doing a short OCI on Pennzoil 0w-40 with a hengst filter. Probably going to go 2-3k and then do another change. Next change will install my LN filter adapter and Fram Ultra XG3675 (LN Napa filter size equivalent).

Any improvement in oil condition, reduction in TAN, etc will be VERY welcome.

And, if the oil is running that much cooler, it's also slightly thicker.... Possibly obviating the need to go to 5w-40, in favor of the available-at-walmart 0w-40 A40 oils.

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[JFP in PA]

M1 0W-40 is simply not the product that it once was.  If I were you, I would take a very close looks at Joe Gibbs DT40, which is a 5W-40 with good ZDDP levels and excellent film strength.

 

We are also not fans of Fram filters either for the same reasons; they are not as well made as they once were.  I would take a look at the XP version of the NAPA filter, very well made, and readily available 

[BufordTJustice]

M1 0W-40 is simply not the product that it once was.  If I were you, I would take a very close looks at Joe Gibbs DT40, which is a 5W-40 with good ZDDP levels and excellent film strength.
 
We are also not fans of Fram filters either for the same reasons; they are not as well made as they once were.  I would take a look at the XP version of the NAPA filter, very well made, and readily available [emoji3]

Noted on the JG DT40. Cheapest place to source it?

However, the Fram Ultra is a completely different animal from their other offerings (which are, IMHO, not even worth mentioning); I won't touch any other Fram model. The ultra is all metal, dual layer full synthetic media, wire backed, silicone ADBV. Excellent track record on BITOG forums.

They are 99.9% at 20 microns and 80% at 5 microns. And they flow VERY well. I've also used Wix XP, Royal Purple and Amsoil EaO (last two made by champ labs). I've sectioned them and they are all nearly identical inside aside from the exact kind of fully synthetic media they employ.

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[judgejon]

consider Red Line 10-40.

this is fun reading for me, brings back memories of my old 911SC, sitting in traffic, watching the temp gauges climb.  The good old days....

Edited May 21, 2017 by judgejon

[JFP in PA]

11 hours ago, BufordTJustice said:

 

Noted on the JG DT40. Cheapest place to source it?

However, the Fram Ultra is a completely different animal from their other offerings (which are, IMHO, not even worth mentioning); I won't touch any other Fram model. The ultra is all metal, dual layer full synthetic media, wire backed, silicone ADBV. Excellent track record on BITOG forums.

They are 99.9% at 20 microns and 80% at 5 microns. And they flow VERY well. I've also used Wix XP, Royal Purple and Amsoil EaO (last two made by champ labs). I've sectioned them and they are all nearly identical inside aside from the exact kind of fully synthetic media they employ.

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Usually the best source for the Gibbs oil is on line, it pops up on sale from a number of vendors who also throw in free shipping.  Check out the usual suspects: Amazon, Jegs, etc.

[BufordTJustice]

 
Usually the best source for the Gibbs oil is on line, it pops up on sale from a number of vendors who also throw in free shipping.  Check out the usual suspects: Amazon, Jegs, etc.

Roger. I'll add it to my Amazon prime alerts.

Thank you!

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[BufordTJustice]

consider Red Line 10-40.
this is fun reading for me, brings back memories of my old 911SC, sitting in traffic, watching the temp gauges climb.  The good old days....

I'll take a look at that as well.

Next oil change will be with Castrol Edge 0w-40. It has a kinematic viscosity that is notably higher than Mobil 1, and almost identical to JG DT40. I already have ten quarts in my garage. After that, I'm going to try DT40.

But redline makes good stuff. Some folks lose their minds over how long an oil can go, but I'll probably be doing 4k oil change intervals for the next 20k miles to get everything inside the engine nice and clean. Cheap insurance, right? Especially on a 996 3.4.

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[BufordTJustice]

Thermostat INSTALLED!

But, can't really comment on the before and after because one of my radiator fans (passenger side) stopped working TODAY. No lie.

So time to troubleshoot that. Lol

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[BufordTJustice]

UPDATE: it's the passenger side fan resistor. $115 for a friggin in line resistor!

Fan worked on high, not on low. Swapped the left and right relays and problem remained on the same fan. Part ordered.

Any way to replace the resistor without removing the front bumper?

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[JFP in PA]

Here is a DIY write up:

 

Resistor replacement on a 996

[BufordTJustice]

You would pretty much have to be a magician to do that:
 

Haha. Thanks for the response.... gave me a good laugh.

Yeah, bumper is coming off. No magician here.

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[JFP in PA]

Read the DIY, you can get at it from below with the bumper cover on, but there is limited room.

[BufordTJustice]

Read the DIY, you can get at it from below with the bumper cover on, but there is limited room.

Roger. Will do. Thank you, again.

Gonna get the front up on stands today to have a look. Part should be here later this week.

Thermostat really helps when car is moving, so far. Also, as you stated, oil temps are WAY down. Very happy I made that upgrade.

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[BufordTJustice]

I decided, after the part was delayed by several days, to remove the bumper and clean the radiators as well.

I do not regret cleaning the rads. Even though it had been done before by a previous owner, and this had only ever been a South Florida car before me, it still needed it.

Thanks again, JFP, for the good info.

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[BufordTJustice]

I ended up cutting the leads to the resistor and butt-crimping/heat shrinking/electrical taping/zip tying them in place. Didn't feel like fishing the entire harness out of there when it worked fine according to my fluke multimeter.

Picture is before wires have been dressed and secured.

And, VOY-LUH, the fan works on low now!!!! :)

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